Buyers Guide to the Blackberry Curve 8320 Mobile
First introduced in 2007, the BlackBerry Curve brand was manufacturer RIM’s answer to the gripes that Blackberry mobiles lacked in looks. The Curve 8300 series provided entry level smartphones that are consumer orientated and appeal aesthetically with their soft curves and colourful exterior.
While the Curve 8300 series was then succeeded by the Curve 8900, 8500, 9300 and most currently the 9350 ranges, I’m still a fan of the Curve 8320. With its excellent handling of emails and the ability to place voice calls over Wi-Fi networks, this model is worth a look.
Let’s explore the pros and cons:
Design
The Curve 8320 is generally available in three colours – titanium gray, gold and sunset red. This means you can choose a business-like look or a bold, flashy style. The design is made even more appealing by being so sleek. This snazzy little smartphone is only .6 inches thick and weighs just 3.9 ounces, allowing it to fit tidily in the palm of your hand. And while the keyboard is small, it’s nice and easy to use. Lastly, you won’t be disappointed by the bright, clear display.
The one downside on the design is that the phone isn’t touchscreen. Those who don’t enjoy the sensitivity of this feature will find it a bonus however.
Software
What I find useful is you can download applications to your Curve from a range of sources, instead of only though Blackberry’s official platform. This lets you pick and choose applications as you please. There is even an app that allows you to work with Microsoft Office files on your mobile.
It must be said though that while the number of apps for BlackBerry phones are constantly growing, you still won’t find the range that you’ll get for Windows Mobile, Android or Apple phones.
Making Calls
The Curve 8320 lets you make voice calls using a Wi-Fi network, whether at the office, at home or at a public hotspot, instead of only through a mobile network. This is one of the things I love most about the model, as it means you can make calls in areas where network coverage isn’t good. It also means you can bypass using all your contract voice minutes when making calls, since calls placed over Wi-Fi networks don’t count as voice minutes on your service plan.
It must be said that the voice quality on the Curve 8320 is adequate, but far from excellent. Whether you’re making a call through a mobile network or via Wi-Fi, there are times when the audio sounds a little muffled. Another issue is that it’s not always seamless when transferring from a Wi-Fi network to a mobile network i.e. when you leave the range of the Wi-Fi network, you should automatically switch to your mobile provider’s network while you carry on talking. The reality is that sometimes this transition causes the call to drop.
Messaging
Another area where the Curve 8320 shines out is its messaging functionality, something for which the Blackberry brand is famous for. The mobile will handle up to 10 email accounts and support almost any type of email system, even business accounts that run on Lotus Notes. It also includes most of the popular instant messaging clients, including AIM, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live.
Internet Access
Because the Curve 8320 supports Wi-Fi, you can be sure of faster Internet surfing than when using your mobile provider’s network.
The problem however is that when you’re not in range of a wireless network, page loading when browsing can be patchy as the phone doesn’t use a 3G network. Also, the phone’s browser automatically formats web pages for viewing on its screen, which means content can be minimal and photos are often stripped out.
Multimedia
The audio and video players in this Curve model are nice and easy to use and they support all of the most popular file formats, such as MP3, WMA, and WMV files. Another plus is that it’s dead simple to transfer files to your mobile from your computer using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager software and a USB cable. As for the camera, it’s 2-megapixel with a 5X digital zoom – this results in some impressive photo quality, especially when used outdoors.
The downside on the multimedia front is that the Curve 8320 doesn’t display video in full-screen size – instead, it appears in a small square within the media player interface, which means you need good eyesight to view it. Another gripe, not serious but annoying nevertheless, is that when taking a pic, you need to press the trackball that sits directly below the screen, while you have to scroll the trackball to activate the camera’s digital zoom. This means it’s easy to activate the zoom when you meant to press the button to take a photo.
Conclusion
While I also own the new Samsung Galaxy 2 and iPhone 4, I still keep my faithful Curve 8320 as I find it really easy to use, especially for email. Thus, I would say that if you want a sturdy, attractive mobile that shines out for being simply useful, this model is an affordably good buy. If however you’re the type who wants only the latest in tech bells and whistles, you might want to try one of the newer Blackberry Curve models.
About the Author: Michael Dehomme is an electronics repair shop owner and Blackberry Curve enthusiast.
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